Due to the fast emergence of NPS, new substances such as 2-FDCK are often not yet specifically mentioned in controlled substance legislation. As a result, NPS are sometimes marketed as 'legal highs'. 2-FDCK is currently illegal in Italy Japan, Latvia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, as well as being covered by blanket bans in Canada, Belgium, and the UK.
The synthesis of 2-FDCK was first described in a 2013 paper as part of a larger effort to synthesize and evaluate new anesthetic drugs based on ketamine and its analogues. Ketamine itself was first introduced in 1964 and was approved for clinical use in 1970. Since then it has become one of the most important and applicable general anesthetics as well as a popular recreational drug.
The use of 2-FDCK as a designer drug has been reported in various countries. Many of these new psychoactive substances (NPS) appear on the drug market in order to circumvent existing drug policies. 2-FDCK was first formally notified by the EMCDDA in 2016, alongside 65 other new substances. Due to its recent appearance, little research has been done on the compound so far.
2-Fluorodeschloroketamine (also known as 2'-Fl-2-Oxo-PCM, Fluoroketamine and 2-FDCK) is a dissociative anesthetic related to ketamine. Its sale and use as a designer drug has been reported in various countries. It is an analogue of ketamine where the chlorine group has been replaced by fluorine. Due to its recent emergence, the pharmocological specifics of the compound are mostly unclear.
2-(2-Fluorophenyl)-2-(methylamino)-cyclohexanone is a related compound of Ketamine (K165300), an anesthetic.
2-FDCK is structurally similar to ketamine, so a similar mechanism of action is expected, but there has been no study done to confirm this. Due to the halogen in the 2 position not being a chlorine but a fluorine, the molecule is less polar. This could influence binding to proteins, such as the NMDA receptor that ketamine primarily binds to and acts as an antagonist towards.
